Pocket-Coil Mattress Construction for Ease of Transport

ABSTRACT

A mattress as disclosed herein comprises first and second pocket coil sections forming the head and foot portions of the mattress, wherein the first and second pocket coil sections are connected to one another by a compressible strip of material extending across the mattress, providing a hinge location for packing the mattress for transportation, in use. This structure allows the mattress to be compressed flat such as by vacuum compression and then folded at the hinge location. The folded compressed mattress can then be rolled up transverse to the folded hinge into a substantially cylindrical shape and boxed for transport. The compressible strip of material, which may be a durable open-cell foam material, allows the mattress to be folded and rolled into a compact form for transport without causing unrecoverable deformation of the mattress springs.

FIELD

This invention relates to pocket-coil (pocket-spring) mattresses and inparticular to a pocket-coil mattress construction adapted to allow forease of transport and storage between manufacture and use. The inventionalso relates to a method for constructing and packaging a pocket-coilmattress.

BACKGROUND

A pocket-spring core mattress has a plurality of interconnected encasedhelical springs, each helical spring being arranged in a closed pocketmade of fabric, nonwoven or the like. Each spring typically has arelatively small diameter, may be parallel, waisted or barrel-shaped,and housed separately in a fabric pocket. A plurality of pocketedsprings are then clipped, tied, glued, or otherwise coupled together,usually in regular array to form the mattress core. The spring count(i.e. the number of springs in the array) of a pocket-spring mattresscan vary considerably, depending on the diameter of the springs forexample, and can exceed one thousand in a given mattress.

While pocket-spring mattresses are widely considered to be a superiorproduct for users, the main alternative in foam-construction mattressesdo have some ancillary advantages. One particular aspect of foammattresses that has been recently exploited to commercial advantagerelies on the ability of a foam mattress to be readily compressed andpackaged for transport to the user premises. The so-called ‘mattress ina box’ product type provides a foam construction mattress that is foldedand/or rolled in a compressed state, and packaged in a box of a sizethat is manageable for transportation. The packaged configurationenables a purchaser to transport the mattress home from the retailestablishment themselves, and also permits convenient delivery bycommercial transportation agencies. This in turn increases opportunitiesfor users to purchase the product online and have it delivered.

The construction of spring mattresses has heretofore presented a barrierto packaging in a form convenient for delivery in the same manner asfoam mattresses. The present invention looks to address this issue, orat least provide a useful alternative to currently available springmattress options.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the present invention there is provided a mattresscomprising first and second pocket coil sections forming the head andfoot portions of the mattress, the first and second pocket coil sectionsbeing connected to one another by a compressible strip of materialextending across the mattress providing a hinge location for packing themattress for transportation, in use.

In embodiments of the invention the compressible strip of materialcomprises an open-cell foam material. For example, the strip of materialmay comprise a high-density open-cell polyurethane foam material.

The strip of material preferably extends across substantially the entirewidth and height of the mattress between the first and second pocketcoil sections and has a thickness in the approximate range of 2 to 6centimetres.

The mattress is adapted to be packed for transport and/or storage,wherein the first and second pocket coil sections and the strip ofmaterial are compressed and the first and second pocket coil sectionsare folded one onto the other with the fold location being along thecompressed strip of material. The folded compressed mattress may then berolled up and secured in a substantially cylindrical form, wherein thedirection of rolling is transverse to the length of the fold.

In accordance with the present invention there is also provided a methodof forming and packing a mattress, such as for transport and/or storage,the method comprising constructing first and second pocket-springmattress core sections, coupling the first and second sections togetherby way of a compressible material strip forming a mattress comprisingthe coupled first and second mattress core sections, and packing themattress for transport including folding the mattress along the strip ofcompressible material.

In embodiments, the operation of packing the mattress includes vacuumcompression of the mattress prior to the folding operation. The vacuumcompression may take place in a polymer bag or envelope that is thensealed to maintain the mattress in the compressed state.

In embodiments the operation of packing the mattress includes rolling ofthe folded compressed mattress and securing it in a generallycylindrical form.

The present invention also provides a method of forming a mattress,comprising constructing first and second pocket-spring mattress coresections, coupling the first and second sections together by way of acompressible material strip forming a mattress comprising the coupledfirst and second mattress core sections, vacuum compressing themattress, folding the compressed mattress along the strip of material,and rolling the folded compressed mattress into a generally cylindricalshape.

The operation of rolling the folded compressed mattress may comprisecoiling the folded compressed mattress such that the coil axis istransverse to the mattress fold.

The invention also provides a mattress formed and/or packed according tothe methods outlined above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further disclosure, objects, advantages and aspects of the presentinvention may be better understood by those skilled in the relevant artby reference to the following description of preferred embodiments takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are given by way ofillustration only and thus not limitative of the present invention, andin which:

FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrammatic illustrations of a mattress accordingto an embodiment of the present invention in plan and side views,respectively;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrammatic plan and side sectional views of themattress;

FIGS. 3A and 3B are isometric view diagrams of a mattress before andafter a compression operation;

FIGS. 4A and 4B are side view diagrams of the mattress before and aftercompression;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are side sectional views of the mattress before andafter compression;

FIGS. 6A and 6B are side view diagrams of the mattress before and aftera folding operation;

FIGS. 7A and 7B are isometric view diagrams of the mattress before andafter folding;

FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C diagrammatically illustrate rolling and packaging ofthe mattress; and

FIG. 9 is a flow chart diagram of operations involved in manufacture andpacking of a mattress according to embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, where directionally related terms are usedsuch as ‘top’, ‘bottom’, ‘above’, ‘below’, ‘sides’ and the like, theseare understood to be with reference to a mattress that is configured andpositioned for use, such as lying flat on a bed base, unless the contextrequires otherwise. Terms referring to the ‘head’ and ‘foot’ portions ofa mattress should be similarly construed, although it will beappreciated the a mattress can be deployed and positioned in more thanone way, whereby head and foot portions may be interchangeable.

Amongst consumers, the most popular size of mattress is the‘queen-size’, having major dimensions of approximately 203 centimetreslength and 153 centimetres width. In order to package a mattress of suchdimensions for transport, in the manner of a ‘mattress in a box’,typically multiple packing operations are required such as compression,followed by folding, followed by rolling. While it may be physicallypossible to pack a pocket-spring mattress in this way, in the processthe springs can be subject to damage or unrecoverable deformation thataffects the performance of the mattress once unpacked.

Embodiments of the present invention address this issue by providing apocket-spring mattress constructed with inclusion of a narrow foamsection extending across the centre of the mattress core. A mattress 10having this construction is diagrammatically illustrated in FIGS. 1A and1B. The mattress 10 comprises two sections 20, 30 that correspond to thehead and foot ends of the bed. The two sections 20, 30 are connected toone another by means of a connecting strip 40 comprising a foammaterial. The connecting strip 40 extends from one side of the mattresscore to the other and from top to bottom (bearing in mind that themattress core may have one or more fabric, foam, padding or other layersapplied over the core to form a finished mattress).

The connecting strip 40 is preferably formed from a durable high-densityopen-cell foam material, such as a polyurethane or other material typesuitable for the application as described herein. As mentioned, thewidth of the connecting strip 40 corresponds to the width of themattress core from side to side, and the height of the strip 40corresponds to the height of the mattress core (i.e. roughly the sameheight as the springs). The thickness of the connecting strip 40 (i.e.the thickness ‘T’ of foam material between the two sections 20, 30 asindicated in FIG. 1A) is preferably in the approximate range 20 mm to 60mm when the mattress 10 is in an ordinary resting condition.

To facilitate secure connection between the two sections 20, 30 and theconnecting strip 40 the adjacent ends of the sections 20, 30 may bereinforced with fabric 50, 51. Specifically, portions of fabric (e.g.non-woven or the like) are stitched and/or glued over the ends of themattress core sections 20, 30. The foam connecting strip may then besecurely fastened between the portions of reinforcing fabric 50, 51,also by stitching and/or adhesive.

The two mattress core sections 20, 30 are constructed withpocket-springs in known manner, diagrammatically illustrated insectional views shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B. As shown, each mattress coresection 20, 30 comprises a plurality of pockets 60 arranged in a regulararray, with each pocket containing a spring 65. The view in FIG. 2Ashows only a representative sample of springs 65 in the pockets 60.Moreover, the these diagrams are not to scale and in practice thesprings may typically be smaller in diameter relative to the dimensionsof the mattress, and arranged in closer spacing to one another. As aresult, a pocket-spring mattress core in practice would likely havesprings and pockets more numerous by an order of magnitude thanillustrated herein.

As known in the art, the pockets 60 themselves might typically beconstructed from a fabric material, with adjacent pockets coupled to oneanother by adhesive, thermal welding, stitching or any suitable means.The spring coils 65 are also formed according to known manufacturingtechniques, for example coiled from suitable small gauge wire and thenheat treated.

Described hereinbelow with reference to the remaining drawings is aprocess for compressing and packing the mattress 10 for transport. Theoverall sequence of process operations 200 for manufacture and packingthe mattress are outlined in the flow chart diagram shown in FIG. 9. Asdescribed above, beginning with operation 202, first the twopocket-spring sections (e.g. ‘head’ and ‘foot’ sections) are constructedaccording to known methods. Then, as also described above, the twopocket-spring sections are joined together by way of a connecting stripof foam material (operation 204). This completes formation of themattress core, to which may then be applied fabric coverings and thelike to finish the mattress.

In order to pack the finished mattress for transport, the mattressundergoes a multi-stage procedure as outlined in operations 206 to 212and described hereinbelow with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8. In the firststage of the packing procedure (operation 206) the mattress iscompressed to a flattened form in a vacuum compression bag. Referring toFIGS. 3, 4 and 5, this involves sealing the mattress 10 within a plasticbag or envelope 100, and then removing air from within the bag 100 byuse of a vacuum pump. For example, the bag 100 may have a port 102(diagrammatically shown in FIG. 3) through which the air is removed fromthe bag before the port is sealed. The effect of this operation isintroduction of a relatively large pressure differential between theoutside and the inside of the bag 100, which causes the relativelyhigher atmospheric pressure on the outside top and bottom surfaces ofthe bag to flatten the mattress inside. FIGS. 3A, 4A and 5A show themattress 10 in the vacuum compression bag before application of thevacuum pump, whereas FIGS. 3B, 4B and 5B show the mattress 10A in theflattened condition sealed in the bag 100 after vacuum compression. Asseen in the section view of FIG. 5B, in the flattened condition of themattress 10A the springs 65 are compressed to at least near theirminimum height, and the connecting foam strip 40 is also commensuratelycompressed. Compression of the foam connecting strip 40 may result insome increase in the width of the strip as seen in the drawings.Compression of the mattress 10 to the flattened mattress 10A may involvereduction of the mattress height by an order of magnitude or more, forexample from more than ten centimetres down to one centimetre or so.

The second stage of the packing procedure (operation 208) involvesfolding the flattened mattress 10A at the foam connecting strip 40. Thisis diagrammatically illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, wherein FIGS. 6A and7A show the flattened mattress 10A before the folding operation andFIGS. 6B and 7B show the folded mattress 10B. The folding operationsimply involves pivoting one mattress section (e.g. section 20) aboutthe connecting strip 40 toward the other mattress section (e.g. section30) to bring the two sections 20, 30 adjacent one another with thefolded bend occurring in the connecting strip 40. Arrow 105diagrammatically indicates the folding direction. The folding operationcan be performed manually or automatically by mechanical means.

By folding the mattress across the centre the length of the product isreduced by approximately one-half from typically over two metres fromend to end, to perhaps a little over one metre. This enables morecompact packing of the mattress for transport, as described below.Moreover, the acute bend in the folded mattress 10B occurs in theconnecting strip 40, and therefore does not result in damage orunrecoverable deformation of the mattress springs.

FIGS. 8A, 8B and 8C diagrammatically illustrate the final stages ofpacking the mattress for transport. This involves rolling the flattened,folded mattress 10B into a rolled, generally cylindrical form 10C (FIG.8B) which can then be placed in a cardboard box 130 (FIG. 8C), forexample. FIG. 8A illustrates an exemplary apparatus 115 than can beemployed to facilitate the rolling operation.

The apparatus 115 has a platform 114 between a supply roll 112 ofplastic film 110 and a spindle 120. The plastic film 110 is extendedacross the platform 114 and rolled onto the spindle 120, which can bemechanically rotated in the direction indicated by arrow 125 by means ofan axial shaft 122. In use the flattened, folded mattress 10B containedin the vacuum compression bag 100 is placed on top of the plastic film110 on the platform 114. The orientation of the mattress 10B is suchthat the extent of the folded foam connecting strip 40 is transverse tothe axis of the spindle 120. The spindle is then controllably rotated bythe shaft 122 which coils the plastic film 110 onto the spindle and, inturn, draws the mattress 10B in the direction of arrow 126. Along withthe plastic film 110, the mattress 10B also becomes coiled onto thespindle 120. After several rotations the mattress 10B has been coiledinto the generally cylindrical form 10C, with several more turnsproviding an additional external wrapping of the plastic film 110(operation 210). The coiled mattress and covering plastic film can thenbe secured using adhesive tape, string, strapping or the like.

Once the mattress has been coiled into form 10C it can be removed fromthe spindle 120, using a mechanical press or similar to push the coiledmattress wrapped in plastic film off the spindle, in the direction ofarrow 127 for example. The rolled mattress 10C is shown in isolation inFIG. 8B (the plastic film covering is not seen), one coiled edgecomprising the hinged connecting strip 40 as indicated. The rolledmattress can then be enclosed in a cardboard box 130, as desired, orsimply shipped as is. Using this method a queen-sized mattress of atypical thickness, for example 27 cm, may be packed into a box havingapproximate dimensions 100 cm 50 cm by 50 cm. It will of course beappreciated that mattresses of different dimensions may result indifferent packed sizes, as will be apparent from the foregoingdescription.

Following transport of the mattress to its location for intended use,the mattress can be deployed by removing it from the box, cutting awaythe tape and/or plastic film 110, and piercing the bag 100 to permit airthereinto and allow the mattress to decompress. The natural resilienceof the springs and foam will then cause the mattress to return to itsoriginal form by unrolling and unfolding with little or no assistancefrom the user.

The structure and implementation of embodiments of the invention hasbeen described by way of non-limiting example only, and many additionalmodifications and variations may be apparent to those skilled in therelevant art without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention described.

Any discussion of documents, devices, acts or knowledge in thisspecification is included to explain the context of the invention. Itshould not be taken as an admission that any of the material forms partof the prior art base or common general knowledge in the relevant art inAustralia or elsewhere on or before the priority date of the disclosureand claims herein.

Throughout this specification and the claims which follow, unless thecontext requires otherwise, the word “comprise”, and variations such as“comprises” and “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusionof a stated integer or step or group of integers or steps but not theexclusion of any other integer or step or group of integers or steps.

1. A mattress comprising first and second pocket coil sections formingthe head and foot portions of the mattress, the first and second pocketcoil sections being connected to one another by a compressible strip ofmaterial extending across the mattress providing a hinge location forpacking the mattress for transportation, in use.
 2. A mattress accordingto claim 1, wherein the compressible strip of material comprises anopen-cell foam material.
 3. A mattress according to claim 1, wherein thestrip of material comprises a high-density open-cell polyurethane foammaterial.
 4. A mattress according to claim 1, wherein the strip ofmaterial extends across substantially the entire width and height of themattress between the first and second pocket coil sections and has athickness in the range of 2 to 6 centimeters.
 5. A mattress according toclaim 1, to wherein the first and second pocket coil sections and thestrip of material are compressed and the first and second pocket coilsections are folded one onto the other with the fold location beingalong the compressed strip of material.
 6. A method of forming andpacking a mattress, such as for transport and/or storage, comprisingconstructing first and second pocket-spring mattress core sections,coupling the first and second sections together by way of a compressiblematerial strip forming a mattress comprising the coupled first andsecond mattress core sections, and packing the mattress for transportincluding folding the mattress along the strip of compressible material.7. A method according to claim 6, wherein the operation of packing themattress includes vacuum compression of the mattress prior to thefolding operation.
 8. A method according to claim 6, wherein theoperation of packing the mattress includes rolling of the foldedmattress into a generally cylindrical form.
 9. A method of forming amattress, comprising constructing first and second pocket-springmattress core sections, coupling the first and second sections togetherby way of a compressible material strip forming a mattress comprisingthe coupled first and second mattress core sections, vacuum compressingthe mattress, folding the compressed mattress along the strip ofmaterial, and rolling the folded compressed mattress into a generallycylindrical shape.
 10. A method according to claim 9 wherein theoperation of rolling the folded compressed mattress comprises coilingthe folded compressed mattress such that the coil axis is transverse tothe mattress fold.
 11. A mattress formed by the method of claim
 6. 12. Amattress according to claim 6 wherein the compressible material stripcomprises a high-density open-cell polyurethane foam material.
 13. Amattress according to claim 6 wherein the compressible material stripextends across substantially the entire width and height of the mattressbetween the first and second pocket-spring mattress core sections andhas a thickness in the range of 2 to 6 centimetres.